The conventional armored limousine has a heavily armored body and built-in bulletproof windows which are capable of withstanding gun fire at close range. The thickness of the window material and the special requirements for mounting it generally necessitate either a specially built vehicle body or at the very least extensive rebuilding of a standard limousine. These factors add greatly to the cost of the armored vehicle.
More recently, conventional production cars, vans and trucks are being provided with medium duty "add-on" armor protection. This armoring is added to outwardly conventional production vehicles, which are much less obtrusive and identifiable than the specially built limousines. Though reworking of the vehicle body is required, armoring of this type is generally much less expensive than conventional armoring.
In this lighter armoring technique, rather than removing the production windshield and replacing it with bulletproof glass, which as noted above would require very expensive modification, a plate of transparent armor is mounted directly behind and generally parallel to the windshield, which remains in place. The transparent armor is dimensioned so that there is no "gap" or unprotected area around it through which gunfire might be directed into the vehicle.
Similar (although thicker) transparent armor is also used to back up the side and rear glass windows of the vehicle. At these locations the transparent armor is rigidly mounted to the window frames on the inside of the vehicle. Angle brackets are used and the mounting is fairly straightforward, because the frames are easily accessible for mounting. The transparent armor at these locations is not movable, that is, it cannot be rolled down nor can it be swung away to clean the windows.
However, mounting transparent armor behind the windshield presents a more difficult situation. At each side edge the windshield is mounted to the windshield post (also known as the roof support and as the A post) which extends angularly downwardly and which forms an acutely angled corner where it meets the dash panel. It is difficult to secure the transparent armor to the windshield post in the tight space within this actutely angled corner, and it is especially difficult to fit it snugly so that there is no unprotected gap in coverage adjacent the windshield post or the dash.
A further problem in windshield armoring arises in respect to the grime which gradually collects on the windshield. Dust settles in the space between the armor and the windshield (the windshield is typically curved, whereas the armor is a flat plate, so that there is an unsealed gap between them). The proximity of the armor to the windshield has made it almost impossible to clean this space.
Moreover, the armor tends to isolate the windshield from the interior of the vehicle, which makes it difficult to defog the windshield.
In the past the difficulties of mounting the plate of transparent armor behind the windshield have been so formidable that, once installed, it was very difficult to remove the armor. This hindered cleaning the space between the armor and the wind-shield. In one prior mounting technique, the normally flat transparent armor was bowed to effectively narrow it for installation. This required bending the armor with a chain fastened between clamps on the side edges of the armor. Tightening the chain bowed or bent the armor sufficiently to diminish the dimension between its side edges that it could be fitted closely between the windshield posts. Once in place, the armor was permitted to straighten out again and the chain was removed. Obviously that technique was not easily usable; as a practical matter, once the windshield armor had been installed in that manner it was virtually never removed and the opposed, isolated windshield and armor surfaces were never cleaned.
Accordingly, it has been the objective of this invention to provide an improved means of mounting transparent armor behind the windshield whereby the armor can more easily be installed and, once installed, can be moved away from the armor sufficiently that the space between it and the windshield is accessible for cleaning.